The end of a thing is better than its beginning;
The patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit. Ecclesiastes 7:8
Much of life is uncertain. No matter how much "control" we believe we have, our control in light of the the world around us is certainly an illusion. We wonder why we live in poverty ~ physically, spiritually and/or financially ~ only to discover that if we relinquish Control to the One Who formed us with His perfect plan in mind, we would be much better off.
As we grow older and mature in our faith, we have the benefit of looking back and seeing why the difficult times and why it's important to persevere. Those trials build our faith and trust in our Father in heaven; in His perfect Son, Jesus; and our Helper, the Holy Spirit.
Consider the following story in light of our struggles in life.
Consider "the end" product, as we are encouraged in Ecclesiastes 7:8.
Do we crave God's way? Man's way? Our own way?
A man found the cocoon of a butterfly.
He sat and watched the butterfly for several hours
as it struggled to squeeze its body through the tiny hole.
Then it stopped, as if it couldn’t go further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly.
He took a pair of scissors and
snipped off the remaining bits of cocoon.
The butterfly emerged easily, but
its body was swollen and its wings were shriveled.
The man continued to watch it,
expecting that any minute the wings would unfold
and expand enough to support the body,
Neither happened!
In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life
crawling around.
It was never able to fly.
Here's what the man in his kindness
and haste did not understand:
The struggle required by the butterfly
to get through the restrictive opening in the cocoon
forces fluid from its body into the wings
making them ready for flight.
Sometimes struggles are exactly
what we need in our lives.
Going through life with no obstacles would cripple us.
We would not be as strong as we could have been
and we would never fly.
Author Unknown
Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God. And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us. ~ Romans 5:1-5
*Dedicated to my Mary Martha group: Bethany, Bethany, Dani, Lyndi, Phyllis, and Yvonne ~ we prayed for years that He would not leave us unchanged. He has been faithful!
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